It’s that time of year again: the Christmas season. For many it is a time of celebration, of reflecting with gratitude on the year that is ending and of setting goals for the following year. However, for people with hearing loss, the holiday season can be a mixed blessing. We look forward to spending time with family and friends, but big celebrations aren’t always favorable for people with hearing loss.
Still, there are ways to make the most of the holiday season, including our HEAR communication tool, which can help you improve any difficult hearing situation.
Your Survival Guide to Hearing Loss Parties
Many of these tips will work for both sit-down dinners and cocktail parties. Please share your ideas in the comments.
Plan ahead
As with all challenging listening situations, it’s important to plan ahead.
- Contact the host a few weeks before the event to make special requests, such as a particular seat at the table or setting up an area for quiet conversation.
- Pack your tech tools and extra batteries. This may include loading speech-to-text apps on your phone or carrying a remote microphone or other device.
- Consider hosting yourself to have more control over your environment.
Self-identify and defend your needs
At the event, identify and advocate for your communication needs.
- Find the optimal listening location for you. This can be in a central part of the table for a seated event or in a relatively quiet section of the space at a cocktail party.
- Tell people about your hearing loss and give specific suggestions on how they can better communicate with you. They could include better communication practices, such as getting their attention first or talking one-on-one.
- Use visual cues, such as a hand behind your ear, to indicate that you are having trouble hearing. The speaker can adjust its volume and you won’t need to interrupt the flow of the conversation.
- It’s easy to nod and pretend to listen to what others are saying, but it can be dangerous. Don’t pretend. Instead, ask for what you need to be part of the conversation.
Embrace all types of technology
Use assistive hearing devices to help in situations where your traditional devices are not enough.
- Try a speech-to-text app to help you read what others are saying, or use a remote microphone to bring the conversation directly to your ears.
- If the evening includes speeches, ask the host to provide you with a microphone or ask the speaker to use their remote microphone.
Practice self-care
The holiday season is exciting but also stressful.
- Reserve time for yourself. Enjoy reading a book or sitting quietly in meditation. Self-care will benefit your ability to concentrate and enjoy conversation.
- Listening fatigue is real. Take breaks during any event as needed to recharge your hearing batteries and give your eyes a rest. Mindful breathing can also help you reset and restore.
- Have reasonable expectations. You probably won’t hear everything, but that’s okay. Enjoy talking to people sitting near you or invite a small group to a quieter part of the room to talk.
- Focus on gratitude. It can be hard to stay positive when you feel left out of the fun, but it can help to focus on what you’re grateful for instead of what you’re missing. Enjoy the warmth of the family and friends around you, even if you don’t catch every word.
For more listening tricks, read Hear and Beyond: Living Skillfully with Hearing Loss.
Readers, what tips and tricks do you use to enjoy the holiday season with hearing loss?
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